Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies

Acknowledgments

Mary Pickford: Queen of the Movies is a collective work, and I am indebted to many publishing professionals, institutions , and writers for aiding its creation. In particular I am indebted to the Margaret Herrick Library at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for sharing the archive’s remarkable Mary Pickford Collection. Indeed, it would have been impossible to fully honor Pickford’s life and legacy without this material. I am also grateful to library director Linda Mehr, photo curator Matt Severson, and graphics librarian Anne Coco. I have benefited from the vast knowledge and infinite patience of Barbara Hall and Jenny Romero, as well as from the guidance of Joe Adamson,Val Almendarez, Mary Mallory, and Faye Thompson. And I cannot express how fortunate I was to have had the late Robert Cushman, former photo curator at the library, as a mentor. He blazed the trail of Pickford scholarship I walk on. The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County provided access to its incredible collection of Pickford artifacts . It is a privilege to showcase these pieces, especially the actress’s costumes and curls. I am beholden to collections manager BethWerling for her expertise and unstinting support and to photographer Candacy Taylor, who helped bring the collection to life. I also greatly appreciate the museum sta∑ who went the extra mile to prepare these materials. A number of archivists, curators, museum sta∑, and reference librarians o∑ered vital assistance, including Nancy Kau∑man (George Eastman House); Ron Magliozzi and Katie Trainor (Museum of Modern Art); Megan Forbes (Museum of the Moving Image); Holly Reed (National Archives), Kay Petersen (National Museum of American History); Karen Nickeson, Tom Lisanti, and Steve Massa (New York Public Library for the Performing Arts); Lizanne Reger (National Portrait Gallery); Susan Snyder (Bancroft Library); and Simon Elliot (UCLA Library). Scans of original posters for The Pride of the Clan (1917) and The Poor Little Rich Girl (1917) were generously provided by Heritage Auctions (Noah Fleisher) and MatthewWagenknecht, respectively. Permission to reprint the work of EdwardWagenknecht and James Card was granted byWalter Wagenknecht and George Eastman House (Amy Schelemanow). Over the years, numerous colleagues and friends have aided and encouraged my work on Pickford, including Mark Betz, Kevin Brownlow, Siobhan Flynn, Jan-Christopher Horak, Eddie Richmond, Lynanne Rollins, Ed Stratmann , and Heather Ukryn. The indispensable EileenWhitfield has generously shared information and o∑ered wise counsel. I owe an important debt to the National Endowment for the Humanities for awarding me research fellowships in 2000 and 2004. The endowment provided essential assistance that made all my subsequent Pickford endeavors possible. Without the support of the Library of Congress’s Publishing O≈ce, this book would not exist. Director Ralph Eubanks gave me a tremendous opportunity when he suggested I work on a Pickford book and remained a strong advocate for the project. I was especially privileged to have MargaretWagner as an adviser, editor, and sounding board and to receive encouragement and guidance from Athena Angelos, John Cole, Amy Hess, Blaine Marshall, Elizabeth McDonald, Linda Osborne, Susan Reyburn, Evelyn Sinclair, and TomWiener. And I will always be thankful to brilliant photo editor VincentVirga, who first recommended me to the publishing o≈ce. For over a decade the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division at the Library of Congress has been my main resource for Pickford research. The dedicated and knowledgeable sta∑ has kindly aided me at every turn. I am particularly grateful to reference librarians Rosemary Hanes, Zoran Sinobad, and JosieWaltersJohnston . I deeply appreciate the longstanding support of division chief Greg Lukow and Moving Image Section head Mike Mashon, as well as the assistance of Bryan Cornell, Karen Fishman, Brian Taves, and GeorgeWilleman. I am also indebted to Jan Grenci (Prints and Photographs Division) and Susan Claremont (Music Division), both of whom helped me navigate collections, and to Glen Krankowski and Domenic Sergi (Digital Scan Section) for technical advice and beautiful images. The everdiligent Pat Padua (Music Division) o∑ered his technical expertise, tireless support, and friendship. It must have been Providence that brought gifted book designer Robert Wiser to this project. I thank him for his unerring taste and insight into Pickford. In addition, copy editor Linda Lotz’s rigorous and meticulous work contributed immensely to the clarifying of the text. Finally, I am grateful for the love and support of my family and friends, especially my mother Paula Schmidt, niece HaileeWells, and best pal Hartley Napoleon Jones. 251 Acknowledgments Pickford standing with...